bibytz

Hi, I was banded 09-07-06. Since I had 4 fills and I have not lost weight since november 2006. At first I thought that I was on a "plateau" but at the second fill I was told that 30% of fill was missing. The PA filled the band to its previous level and added more... Then at the third fill 60% of liquid was missing (minus 2.5cc) in 4 weeks. Two weeks later I was at the hospital for a check-up with contrast. The band was fill with contrast and all the system was checked under x-ray and the result was: NO LEAK. However, at that time I had lost 25% of previous fill... just 2 weeks before :cake: . I asked the PA explanation about the missing liquid but was told that there was none at this time and that we will check again in 4 weeks. :omg: :girl_hug: So my question is: Does anyone had similar experience? Does anyone have answer about that loosing fill but no leak situation ? Thanks and ciao... for now.

Hi Sunta, Congrats. Hi have also lost 50 pounds and experienced the same list of NSVs. To those I add: - Sitting in the car with seatbelt on and "searching" for my belly... - Walking at the track and realizing that my thights do not "rub together" anymore. Wouah!!! Ciao... for now.

Hi, Got surgery on Thursday morning and went back to work on Monday. I made it a short day though!!! Good luck and smooth ride. Ciao... for now.

Good luck with your surgery tomorrow, I wish you a smooth recovery. Ciao... for now.

:clap2: Hi, I am very happy to be on the loosing side. Surgery was last Thursday morning and it went well. I was not at all comfortable with "surgery" part of the band lifestyle. Extremely happy that it is done. It went much smoother than I expected and I have very little gas pain (if I compare with GB surgery 5 years ago, this one is a breeze). I am on clear liquid and so far so good. I want to thank the members who sent me best wish messages. It is greatly appreciated and I needed your support, so THANK YOU. Ciao... for now.

Beleive it, it is all yours. You've worked hard for it so might as well enjoy it ALL. Congratulations and thank you for the inspiration. Ciao... for now.

Hi, I am scheduled for lap surgery tomorrow at noon:omg: . I am excited and looking forward to be at the "post-up" stage because I hate anesthesia... I have been on Optifast since mid-July so I am also looking forward to eat real food (even in liquified stage)! Anyway, I want to thank you for sharing your experience on this site. I have read a lot of valuable information and learned so many things from you all. Now, it is time for me to convert this theory into practice. THANK YOU SO MUCH.:kiss Ciao... for now.

Hi, I am having lap surgery this Thursday and have a question about bowel prep. on Wednesday. The surgeon's instruction is to take magnesium citrate at 1PM and to expect laxative effect for 6-8 hours. I am working in the AM (9h to 1h30) and in the evening (6h to 9h). Based on your experience, would it be possible to take laxative at 9hPM? :paranoid Or can I expect the stronger effect of the laxative during the first hour? :nervous Thanks for your reply. Ciao... for now.

Hi Ericsmom, Thanks for the tip about the vaseline. Now I'm nervous lol........ Sorry for the ignorance but what is MC? Did you have to take the magnesium citrate twice? Why did you have to drink hourly? The instruction that I received are: take a dose of 10-12 ounces of Citrate of magnesia and follow this dose with 2 glasses of Water. Thanks again.

Thank you all for your reply, I thought that the bowel prep would be similar than the one they give before delivering at the maternity ward. I remember that it was intense but it did not last 6-8 hours; more like 2-3 hours. I had gb removed 5 years ago and did not have to do this! I am on Optifast since mid-july and did not eat anything solid in a while. How much liquid can someone flush??? :omg: (Not sure I want to know the answer for this one just yet...lol):nervous Worst case scenario I will cancel my class in the evening which I hate to do because it is the beginning of the semester and I never missed teaching a class. :welldoneclap: Whatever it takes... the band is a must!!! Ciao... for now.

Hi, Sorry for this set-back. I do not have the same insurance co. but encounter the same comment for the first refusal. I had the doctor re-do his letter. He made it like a table format and had columns for dates, diet prescribed (Atkins, WW, etc.), weight, comments. In conclusion he showed that I tried 3 different diets with some minimal weight loss and gaining back on the first 2 diets, and that served to proove that I could not succeed in any weight loss program without a WLS. It worked. Good luck to you, keep fighting the insurance co. because if your surgery is not excluded, it is just a matter of formality and to give them all the necessary/right paperwork... like a government agency! Ciao... for now.

Hi Green, I also go for the band this Thursday. I wish you the smoothest recovery. Ciao... for now.

You know, some of the "many wonderful americans" are... Canadians living on the American side of the border. I am one of them, born and grown in Quebec City. Ciao... for now.

THANK YOU ALL FOR SHARING, I have been reading this thread for a while now and it made me think a lot. I thought of many reasons why I am MO and concluded that they were pretty much all used up by me as excuses in the past. I beleive that all of my past experiences contribute to who I am today. I have other addictions that I took care of 17 years ago without any struggles ever since. I then had the opportunity to learn and understand that addiction is a "disease". It is something that I am born with. The 12 steps program were a blessing for my recovery. The thing is that I do not like to dwell on issues for the rest of my life. I stop using and I am doing great as far as not having any temptation what so ever. And so I thought... The reality hit me a few months ago. I am fat because I made food my new drug of choice. It simply it me like a brick one afternoon after stuffing myself with sweets. I was wondering why I had all those mental struggles with food, those yo-yoing in dieting resolutions and the emotional roller coaster following every attempt to solve my weight problem. I finally admitted that I am simply "powerless over food". I live to eat instead of eating to live. So I thought that I should use my experiences with the 12 step program and apply it to this problem. So far, so good. I then let go of trying to solve this issue. That was not to complicated because I was/am tired of trying to control something that is controlling me. I went to the Dr. one day for my regular check-up to find out that he has been replaced by a bariatric specialist/internal medicine colleague. Dr. Z. has a lap band and was kind to share his experience with me. I started the process for the surgery and here I am today, 35 pounds lighter, out of all my meds and 6 days to band day. I am confident that this is the answer. I asked for help and the band is on its way. As for everything else, the rest is up to me. Thanks for reading me. Ciao... for now.

Hi September Bandsters, This is it, this is our month. I just want to wish each and everyone of us the best of luck for the pre-op dieting, the surgery itself and the post surgery ride. I wish that we all feel our best mentally and physically. Not only can we do it but we are doing it. Let's keep each other informed as to the adjustment to our "new" eating habits and all that will be related to that adjustment. I am sure that we all spend a great deal of time reading countless posts about the band lifestyle but in conclusion let's all have a smooth recovery and adjustment. Looking forward to read you and again, BEST OF LUCK!!! Ciao... for now.

Wow! I just read this thread which is by far the most challenging to grasp. I am scheduled for LB in 8 days and therefore am very interested in learning as much as I can on the subject. I heard both positive and negative aspects of living with this tool. I thank you all for your input and for sharing your experiences. That is a lot of "FOOD" for thoughts... Yes I am very excited about getting a tool that should help me keep the weight off. Yes I do want to beleive that all will go well and that I will be a lucky person without complications. In my moments of confidence I also think that I will stop eating when full and that I will for once be able to consume "normal" portion meals. Of course at this time in my journey I think I will be able to avoid some of the problems by using other bandsters suggestions. I guess that all those feelings are necessary to go thru with this surgery... No I do not want to even think that this tool will not work properly and that I will not lose enough weight to be in a healthier shape. No I do not want to think that I will gain all the weight back + some and feel like a second class citizen. No I do not want to think of failure in any way, shape or form. So here it is, I do not have all the answers. But it has been my life experience to make the 2 columns list before taking any decisions. The pros on one side and the cons on the other. In this case, I have to go with it because of one factor: BEING HEALTHIER. For me it means the elimination of medication for diabetes, high blood pressure and cholesterol. I am not a young chick anymore and I have a young daughter (6 yrs old) who deserves that I try to add days, weeks, months and/or years to my life. Again, thank you all for sharing your experiences. I do not have words to describe how valuable your words are. This is by far the best thread I have read so far. Good luck to us all, good luck to me. Ciao... for now.

Hi Emily, I am also counting the days. I am scheduled for Sept. 7. I also have some weird thoughts (about not waking up after the surgery and similar worries) that pop-up in my mind but I quickly discard them. I am also more nervous than usual but I think that this is normal because I did not have many surgeries and I have no tolerance for pain. I am reminding myself why I am going tru the band and it is helping me relax a bit. I am preparing for the post-up period (cooking for family, planning as much to make it easier to take it easy...). I scheduled an entire "grooming" session (hair color, waxing, facial, manicure/pedicure, etc.) as a gift to myself to help me feel"pretty and prepared". Basically I am trying to focus on the excitement of it all because right at this moment I do not have reasons to stress except if I choose to... As for complications or others, being a person that needs to be in control, I choose to handle those if/when they occur and it helps me relax. So I guess my mantra is "RELAX". I have been so busy lately going tru all the clearances and prep for this surgery lately that I will try to RELAX, RELAX, RELAX between now and then. And it helps so far... Good luck to us, we will be fine!!! Ciao... for now.

Hi, We Have A Saying In French That Translates Something Like This: "what You Are Screams So Loud That I Can Hear What You Say!!!" Please Just Use If/as Needed. Have A Great Day Everyone, We Are All Hanging Around For The Same Reason Afterall. Ciao... For Now.

Hi Everyone, I Am Reading This Message Board For A Little While Now And Am Wondering If Any Of You Bandsters Had A Smooth Post-op Recovery Without Problems. I Am Scheduled For Surgery On Sept. 7. I Think That It Would Creat A Balance On The Information scale To Hear About Experiences Without Complications After The Lap Band Procedure. For Example, Any Of You Had Relatively No Pain? Any Of You Did Not Have A Feeling Of Hunger During The Recovery Phase? Did You Return To Normalcy Within A Few Days? Please Feel Free To Share What Would Be Considered Positive Experiences On This Site. Thank You In Advance For Sharing. I Need To Read Positive Experiences Too... Ciao... For Now.

HI EVERYONE, I AM READING A LOT OF STORIES ABOUT PEOPLE BEING HUNGRY IN THEIR PRE-OP OR POST-OP RECOVERY PHASES. I AM WONDERING IF ANYONE ELSE HAD AN APPETITE SUPPRESSANT MEDICATION PRESCRIBED. I AM SCHEDULED FOR SURGERY ON SEPT. 7 AND HAVE BEEN ON PROTEIN SHAKES/BARS SINCE JULY 18. SO FAR I HAVE NOT FEEL HUNGRY. THE REASON IS THAT MY BARIATRIC SPECIALIST PRESCRIBED AN APPETITE SUPPRESSANT MEDICATION THAT I TAKE WHEN NEEDED. IT IS UNDERSTOOD THAT THIS IS A TEMPORARY SOLUTION (UNTIL I AM ON THE POST-OP SOLID PHASE) BUT IN THE MEANTIME IT SURE DOES MAKE THE RIDE SO SO SO MUCH SMOOTHER.:heh: I AM LOOKING VERY FORWARD TO READ YOUR REPLY AND THANK YOU FOR SHARING. CIAO... FOR NOW.

Hi, I Am On The Optifast Supplied By My Doctor. I Have 5 Weeks Done, 2 To Go. He Also Gave Me Appetite Suppressant For The Tough Moments. So Far It Goes Well Not Really Hungry. Has Just Been Tougher Around My Periods. Anyway, Lost 34 Lbs So Far And That Is "bonus" Before The Band. Ciao... For Now.

Fuuuuuuuuuuuunnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnny!!!

Hi, I'm In Nyc. Will Be Banded On Sept. 7 And Am On Protein Shakes/bars Since July 18 (-34 Lbs). Nice To Read From You New Yorkers. Are You Going To Any Support Groups In The Area? Ciao... For Now.

Hi Want2lose, I Am Just Curious Here: Which Insurance Co. Is Covering Your Band Surgery? Mine Is Cigna And I Heard That They Are "unpredictable". Ciao... For Now.

Congratulations And Thank You For Sharing. You Are An Inspiration For Me. You Look Beautiful And Have A Happy Glow In Your Face. Happy Band Anniversary!!! Ciao... For Now.